A judging panel reviewed 5000 Local Honorees, and selected 102 to receive State Honorees titles. The panel chose these Honorees based on their personal growth, initiatives, impacts, and efforts.

State Honorees received $1000 dollars, silver medallions, and paid trips to Washington, D.C. for national recognition events. They also attended a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, visited congressional representatives, and met the top youth volunteers from around the world.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognized ten of the State Honorees as National Honorees who received gold medallions, crystal trophies, additional $5000 awards, and $5000 grants, from The Prudential Foundation, that went to nonprofit, aid-giving organizations that the Honorees chose.

[Additional commentary from Nick Brown: What Sara failed to mention was that these teenagers got to shake hands with major Hollywood movie star Kevin Spacey. Spacey, you’ll notice from the photo, is even wearing a suit for the ceremony—it’s not like he just walked up there in a bathrobe and a bag of chips, demanding a $2,500 check. He took this thing seriously.

It reminds me of the time I got straight A’s in school; my parents were so pleased they hired Lee Majors to come to our house and congratulate me in person. Of course that never happened, and I never got straight A’s, either, but the story puts some perspective on how these kids must have felt shaking hands with Kevin Spacey. Spacey also recently photobombed a woman in Boston.]

Even as a child I never understood the appeal of Shari Lewis, or even what she was up to in the most general sense. It’s true you could barely see her lips move, but there was never any question in my mind that she was just talking to herself in a funny voice—and rarely about anything I could focus on for more than a few seconds. She’s uncomfortable for children of all ages. Enjoy!

Back in 1984, blind country-western crooner Ronnie Milsap released this rocking crossover hit, “She Loves My Car,” with some surprising support from Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X. It seemed unusually edgy and tuneful for Milsap back then, and it still holds up pretty well. The video also features a young and early appearance by “Law and Order” star Mariska Hargitay.

For several million years, 94 Rock’s TJ Trout ruled the radio airwaves with razor sharp teeth, abrasive skin and the ability to swim while sleeping. I sat in on his show a few times. It probably sounded like fun in Radio Land, but TJ was deadly serious in the control room and could shoot a panic-inducing glare, even while making laughter noises.

Crackpot Hollywood has-been William Devane wants me to buy gold as a hedge against impending global collapse. He also loves to run his fingers through piles of gold coins like an evil cartoon king in the treasure room. It’s troublesome to think how dangerously gold crazy he might become. I imagine him burying chests of gold in his back yard so Randy Quaid can’t get them. All transactions not satisfied in pure gold should expect a hearty “Good day to you sir” from veteran actor William Devane. Maybe he’s just acting, I dunno. He sure seems to like gold.

Honking celebrity gorgon Fran Drescher now makes claims of alien abduction. In screeching hag-like tones, she maintains aliens stuck a chip, possibly a Funyun, in her lotion-slimed hand. The alien chip programmed her to forever speak like a cartoon goose and marry her now gay ex-husband, fellow abductee Peter Marc Jacobson. Jacobson denies having an alien chip himself, even if it could explain why he married Fran Drescher. The aliens now insist Fran Drescher abducted them, though it’s not really a question of just wanting off the spaceship worse. Next time our Nanny gets abducted we can only hope she stays that way.

Joss Whedon has dreamed up some of my favorite characters on TV, in movies and in comics. He's most well-known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel" and "Firefly." Whedon also did "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" with Albuquerque's own Neil Patrick Harris, and the comic "Fray." He's in town directing The Avengers.

AND HE WAS AT THE ALIBI'S SPRING SOCIAL LAST NIGHT.

That's the only all-caps sentence to appear in this blog. Promise. (I didn't meet him, but other people did. Rumors allege he's real cool.)

Tractor Brewing Taproom

New Mexico Humanities Council

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and fine-art photographer Miguel Gandert shows his work highlighting his mestizaje heritage, and the fusion and tension of the relationship between Spanish Colonial and Native Cultures of the Americas. Runs through 12/29.